The rough and tumble music of legendary Pittsburgh "house rocker" Joe Grushecky sounds like it bears the degree from the same school of rock as friend (and occasional collaborator) Bruce Springsteen. But where Springsteen found time to pursue minors in Art, Drama and Rural America 101, Grushecky sounds like he spent most of his school time putting hammer to metal in shop class or working up a sweat in the gym. His is music born of beer-soaked bars, working man blues and steel-toed boots, muscular guitar riffs that echo onto the dirty streets and a voice that sings with honesty and true grit. Gruschecky hasn't made a bad album over his thirty-year career and his upcoming Somewhere East of Eden (October 8, Schoolhouse) is a masterful primer on rugged, roadhouse rock and roll and roots-centric Americana. When describing what inspires his songwriting, Gruscheky brings up working class struggles and building community, teaching neglected kids and forgotten veterans. But he also talks of "going out on a Friday night, plugging in a guitar, and turning it up to ten." Lead track "I Can Hear the Devil Knocking" is pure Grushecky. And yes, it may involve giving it some volume.